ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
MNRE gives major push towards setting up RE Equipment Manufacturing Parks in India
Tuticorin Port Trust and Governments of M P and Odisha express keen interest
Ministry initiates moves to attract investments by Firms shifting base from China
Major Policy Changes brought in to incentivise the RE equipment manufacturing for domestic use and exports
Major push to Export India's best class RE services like Project Designing and O&M
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has initiated action in big way towards setting up new hubs for manufacturing renewable energy equipments in the country to meet both domestic and also cater to global demand. With this objective in view, Ministry has written to various State Governments and various Port Authorities to identify land parcels of 50-500 acres for setting up such Parks. Tuticorin Port Trust, States of Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have already expressed their keen interest in setting up RE Manufacturing Parks.
Secretary, MNRE Shri Anand Kumar has already held meetings with RE manufacturing companies last week. Ministry also got in touch with Trade Commissioners / Representatives of various countries inviting them to invest in this promising opportunity in India. Secretary, MNRE also addressed the US India Strategic Partnership Forum earlier this week through Webinar and sought collaboration and investment by US Firms.
These hubs will manufacture equipments like silicon ingots & wafers, solar cells & modules, wind equipments and ancillary items like back sheet, glass, steel frames, inverters, batteries etc. At present, country has around 10 GW of Wind equipment manufacturing capacity. In case of Solar Cells and Modules India imports about 85 % from abroad. To incentivise domestic manufacturing, Government of India already announced provisions to enable levying of Basic Customs Duty on import of solar cells and modules.
It may be stated that in a time when many companies are planning to shift their manufacturing base from China, it is opportune time for India to bring policy changes for facilitating and catalysing manufacturing in India. In tune with this, MNRE has set up RE Industry Facilitation & Promotion Board to facilitate investment in RE the sector. The Ministry has also strengthened the clauses in Power Purchase Agreements to boost investor confidence. The three Power and RE Sector NBFCs namely PFC, REC and IREDA have reduced their repayment charges to 2% for enhancing the fund availability for new projects in the sector. More over, IREDA has brought out a new Scheme for project specific funding to promote RE manufacturing in India.
Further, Ministry is making special efforts to boost export of RE Services like project designing, operations and maintenance. Today, the practices adopted by RE sector in India in project & grid development and maintenance are among the best in the world and hence a huge opportunity is available for export of RE Services.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Landslide susceptibility mapping of Mussoorie and its surrounding areas in Uttarakhand Himalaya
Study show that 15 percent of the region is highly susceptible to landslides
Like most hill townships, Mussoorie, the popular hill station in Uttarakhand, has witnessed several landslides, probably resulting from an increased spate of developmental activities. The increased disaster hazard has led scientists to map the landslide susceptibility of Mussoorie and surrounding areas, showing that 15 percent of the region is highly susceptible to landslides.
Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology , an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, carried out the study in Mussoorie township and its surroundings covering 84 square km in the Lesser Himalaya. They found that dominant part of the area falling under very high and high landslide susceptible zone lies in the settlement area --. Bhataghat, George Everest, Kempty fall, Khattapani, Library road, Galogidhar, and Hathipaon and are covered by highly fractured Krol limestone exhibiting slope more than 60 degrees.
The Landslide Susceptibility Mapping  published in the Journal of Earth System Science also showed that about 29% of the area falls in the moderate landslide susceptible zone and 56% in low to very low landslide susceptible zone.
The researchers from WIHG carried out the study using bivariate statistical Yule Coefficient  method utilizing Geographic Information System  and high-resolution satellite imageries.
According to their study, various possible causative factors of landslides in the study area include lithology, landuse-landcover , slope, aspect, curvature, elevation, road-cut drainage, and lineament. The WIHG team obtained Landslide Occurrence Favourability Score  for a particular class of the causal factor of landslide and subsequently calculated the weight of each factor of landslide to finally generate Landslide Susceptible Index  in GIS platform. This has been reclassified into five zones using natural break criteria.
The accuracy of this map was verified by using the Success Rate Curve  and Predication Rate Curve  exhibiting the Area Under Curve  for SRC as 0.75 and for PRC as 0.70 indicating a good correlation between different landslide susceptible zones and the occurrence of landslides.
The study could help initiate a large scale landslide hazard, risk, and vulnerability assessment  of the hilly townships in different parts of India.

Figure - Landslide susceptible map of the Mussoorie Township and its surrounding areas
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
MoS, Ports, Shipping and Waterways visits Haldia Dock Complex, inspects operational areas
Kolkata; November 23, 2021
To review various developmental projects initiated by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata , Shri Shantanu Thakur, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways visited Haldia Dock Complex of SMPK on November 21, 2021. The Minister inspected the operational areas of HDC along with Shri Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SMPK; Shri A.K. Mehera, Dy. Chairman  and other senior officers of SMPK, Kolkata.
The Minister inaugurated and launched the following projects during his visit at Haldia Dock Complex;
 Inauguration of Improved Storm Water Disposal Facility including widening of Road inside the Dock area.
The total work costing Rs. 5.74 crore has been awarded on 25.10.2021. This will improve the drainage system within the Dock, accommodate increased traffic density and reduce congestion. This will also facilitate development of dedicated cable corridor for accommodating all power cables.
 Formal inclusion of 41,000 sq.m. of Cargo handling area inside the Dock.
The project costing Rs. 4.23 crore was awarded on 3.5.2021. This will increase storage area of cargo inside Dock as well as it will reduce congestion within Dock.
 Launching of upgradation of Port Guest House at Haldia with landscaping.
The project costing Rs.9.18 crore would upgrade the facilities including beautification of the Guest House for the guests of Haldia Dock Complex. Date of NIT is 18.11.21. It is expected that the job would be completed within 8 months from the date of issuance of work order
 Launching of construction of new ICU and Emergency Units of Port Hospital, Haldia.
The project costing Rs. 3.80 crore would create new ICU and Emergency units at Port Hospital, Haldia for providing better medical facilities to the employees of HDC. It is expected that the job would be completed within 11 months from the date of issuance of work order.
The Minister also held review meeting with the Chairman, Dy. Chairmen and other sr. officers and reviewed progress of different projects presently being undertaken at Haldia. After reviewing the multi-dimensional development perspective, the Minister appreciated the performance of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata. He also spoke about the overall performance of the port including KDS and HDC, which has been maintaining its pivotal position amongst Indian Major Ports for last 152 years.
UPSC
Recruitment Results Finalized by UPSC in September, 2022
The following Recruitment Results have been finalized by the Union Public Service Commission during the month of September, 2022. The recommended candidates have been informed individually by post.
Click here to see the link
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Success story – Special Marketing Assistance Scheme of the National SC-ST Hub provides platform for enhancing business revenue
Read the inspiring success story of Mr. Siam Laingek. Build the enterprise of your dreams with @minmsme.
Siam Laingek, a resident of Churachandpur, Manipur runs his enterprise by the name of Thangching Herbal. He has been manufacturing essential oils for the past few years. He has benefitted from the Special Marketing Assistance Scheme of the National SC-ST Hub by participating in more than 20 domestic exhibitions. This has helped in growing his business revenue by increasing the product reach to his customers in various states. He is a proud member of the NSSH entrepreneur community and thanks the Hon'ble Prime Minister for starting the Hub and assisting many more entrepreneurs like him.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's address at G20 Summit session II: Climate Change and Environment
Excellencies,
Today, when I am amid the G-20 countries on the issue of climate action, I want to present my point with full sensitivity towards my two major responsibilities. The first responsibility is of Climate Mitigation, which is inspired by thousands of years old Indian tradition. We are moving ahead with ambitious goals on this issue. When we announced our goals in Paris, many asked whether India would be able to achieve something like 175 GW of renewable energy. But India is not only achieving these goals rapidly but is also working to set higher targets. Going beyond its Paris commitments, India has set a target of rehabilitation of 26 million hectares wastelands. Indian Railways, the world's largest passenger carrier serving an average of 8 billion passengers every year, has resolved to 'Net Zero by 2030'. With this decision, Indian Railways will mitigate carbon emission by 60 million tons per annum. We are working on the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025. By increasing the count of Asiatic Lions, Tigers, Rhinos, and Dolphins, India has proved that our commitment to protect the environment is not limited only to the energy debate. India has never retreated from the responsibility of Mitigation, nor will it ever go back. Due to the efforts made over the years, today India is one of the top 5 countries in the world, in terms of renewable energy capacity. The world also recognizes this success of India. Countries like USA, France, UK, and Sweden are also our partners in many of our initiatives like ISA and CDRI.
Excellencies,
When I think of my second responsibility- Climate Justice, there is also a pain in my heart. By forgetting Climate Justice, we are not only doing injustice to the developing countries, but we are betraying the entire humanity. As a vocal voice of developing countries, India cannot ignore the neglect of climate finance by the developed countries. Without concrete progress on climate finance, pressuring the developing countries for climate action is unjust. I suggest that the developed countries must aim to make at least 1 per cent of their GDP available to finance green projects in developing countries.
Excellencies,
I would like to present three actionable points in front of G-20 partners. First, G-20 countries must create a 'clean energy projects fund', which can be used in countries where peaking has not happened yet. This fund can also support other institutions like ISA. Secondly, we must create a network of research institutions working on clean-energy in G20 countries which will work on new technologies as well as their deployment related best practices. Thirdly, G20 countries must create an institution to create global standards in the field of green hydrogen to encourage its production and use. India will also contribute fully to all these efforts.
Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of Prime Minister’s remarks. Original remarks were delivered in Hindi.
Ministry of Finance
Cash seizure of over Rs. 142 crore in searches of Income Tax Department in Hyderabad
The Income Tax Department carried out search & seizure operations on 06.10.2021 on a major Pharmaceutical group based out of Hyderabad. This Pharmaceutical group is engaged in the business of manufacturing of intermediates, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients  and formulations. Majority of the products are exported to foreign countries i.e. USA, Europe, Dubai and other African countries. The search operation was carried out at about 50 locations in 6 States.
During the searches, hideouts were identified where second set of books of accounts and cash were found. Incriminating evidence in the form of digital media, pen drives, documents, etc. have been found and seized. Incriminating digital evidences were gathered from SAP @ ERP software maintained by the assessee group.
During these searches, issues relating to discrepancies in purchases made from bogus and non-existent entities and artificial inflation of certain heads of expenditure were detected. Further, evidence of on-money payment for purchase of lands was also found. Various other legal issues were also identified such as personal expenses being booked in the company’s books and land purchased by related parties below government registration value.
During the search, several bank lockers have been found, out of which 16 lockers have been operated. The searches have resulted in seizure of unexplained cash amounting to Rs. 142.87 crore so far. The unaccounted income unearthed is estimated to be in the range of about Rs 550 crore till now.
Further investigations and quantification of undisclosed income detected is in progress.
Ministry of Railways
TWO MORE PUJA SPECIAL TRAINS FOR NJP
Kolkata, October 9, 2021
To clear the expected rush of passengers during the ensuing Puja festival, The Eastern Railway  will run two pairs of Puja Special between Sealdah – New Jalpaiguri & Howrah –New Jalpaiguri.
03751 Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri special will leave Sealdah on every Thursday at 11:55 pm at night between October 14, 2021 & November 25, 2021  to reach New Jalpaiguri at 10:10 am on the next day and 03752 New Jalpaiguri-Sealdah special will leave New Jalpaiguri on every Friday at 12:50 pm at noon between October 15, 2021 & November 26, 2021  to reach Sealdah at 11:05 pm at night on the same day.
02307 Howrah-New Jalpaiguri special will leave Howrah on every Wednesday at 11:55 pm at night between October 13, 2021 & November 24, 2021  to reach New Jalpaiguri at 10:10 am on the next day and 02308 New Jalpaiguri-Howrah special will leave New Jalpaiguri on every Thursday at 12:50 pm at noon between October 14, 2021 & November 25, 2021  to reach Howrah at 11:05 pm at night on the same day.
President's Secretariat
President of India Presents Gallantry Awards for the year 2021 at Defence Investiture Ceremony-II
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations for the year 2021 at the Defence Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening .
Click here to see list of awardees.
Ministry of Steel
Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh takes charge of the Ministry of Steel as the Cabinet Minister
Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh on today took charge as Steel Minister of at Udyog Bhawan here. The Minister of state for Steel, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste welcomed the Cabinet Minister.
After taking the charge of the Steel Ministry, Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh said that Steel Ministry is to play a vital role as Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set a target of achieving the $5 trillion-dollar economy target by 2024. Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh also took a meeting with the officials of the Ministry.
Shri Singh represents Bihar in Rajya Sabha and is a former IAS officer.
Ministry of Power
Republic of Mali awards Project Management Consultancy contract to NTPC for development of 500 MW Solar Park
Republic of Mali has awarded Project Management Consultancy contract to NTPC, a central PSU under Ministry of Power, for development of 500 MW Solar Park. In an event held on 24th June, 2020, chaired by Shri R. K. Singh, the Minister of State for Power, NRE, Skill Development and President of International Solar Alliance , and Mr. H.E. Sekou Kasse, the Ambassador of Mali, handed over the Project Management Consultancy award letter to Mr. Gurdeep Singh, CMD NTPC, for development of 500 MW Solar park in the Republic of Mali.
ISA is an international, inter-Governmental organization, based in India, created with the vision and leadership of Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi and announced jointly with President of France during COP21 held in Paris in 2015. ISA’s vision is for a large-scale solar revolution, hinges on creating a facilitative international ecosystem that enables access to science and economic resources, reduces the cost of technology and capital, facilitates price reduction, and enables development of storage technology and innovation. With its scale and authoritative understanding of the energy transition opportunities of diverse economies, ISA is the world's foremost energy transition catalyst for bringing a change from energy poverty to energy empowerment.
The event was hosted by ISA in the Ministry of Renewable Energy, New Delhi, and graced by the dignitaries, Director General ISA- H.E Upendra Thripathy, Secretary - Sh. Sanjeev Nandan Sahai and Secretary- Sh. Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi and Secretary  Sh. Rahul Chhabra among others.
The Republic of Mali has been taking various initiatives towards energy security of the country, especially to increase access to electricity for its citizens, with a focus on solar power and applications. Development of Solar Projects in Mali will make a considerable impact in socio-economic growth of Mali.
NTPC, a Government of India Enterprise and a leading global power company with 62,110 MW installed capacity has vast experience in setting up of Solar Projects and handling various solar programs like the National Solar Mission in India. In 2019, ISA endorsed NTPC as a Project Management Consultant through a competitive process for the member countries to avail the services of NTPC. Earlier the Republic of Togo engaged NTPC for similar PMC support for development of 285 MW Solar Park in Togo. NTPC plans to anchor 10,000 MW of solar parks in ISA member countries in next two years. Solar parks are being showcased as a best practice from India which had started solar parks as a novel concept and has commissioned a number of projects, thus bringing down cost of solar energy substantially, bringing in investment, creating employment and benefitting the environment in the process.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Health Ministry rushes Central teams to Punjab and Chandigarh to be stationed for 10 days
Central teams to assist States/UT in review of public health measures for Containment, Surveillance, Testing and efficient Clinical Management of COVID-19
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to deploy Central teams to Punjab and UT of Chandigarh.
The high level teams will assist the State/UT in strengthening public health measures for containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of COVID patients with the aim to reduce mortality and save lives. They shall also guide the State/UT in effectively addressing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up.
The two-member teams will comprise of a Community Medicine expert from PGIMER, Chandigarh and an epidemiologist from NCDC. These teams shall be stationed in the State/UT for ten days to provide extended guidance in managing COVID.
Punjab has reported a total of 60,013 cases, whereas it has 15,731Active Cases, on date. It has registered 1739 deaths. The Testing Per Million figure for the State is 37546 . With 4.97%, it hovers at the lower spectrum of cumulative positivity.
The UT of Chandigarh is reporting 2095 active cases whereas its cumulative cases stand at 5268. Testing Per Million and cumulative positivity stand at 38054 and 11.99%, respectively.
The Centre is actively supporting the States/UTs that are seeing a sudden surge in the number of COVID cases and those that are reporting high mortality by deputing multi-sectoral Central teams. Many such teams have visited several States/UTs in the past months. The teams interact with the field authorities to get a first hand understanding of the challenges and issues being faced by them. The Union Health Ministry has been engaging with several States/UTs that are witnessing a surge in COVID cases and high mortality in some districts during the past two days. The States/UTs have been advised to proactively undertake comprehensive measures to break the chain of transmission of the infectious disease and lower mortality, such that it eventually dips below 1%.
Election Commission
Parliamentary delegation from Sweden visits election commission of India
A ten member delegation of MPs, of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag, the Parliament of Sweden, visited the Election Commission of India today. The delegation was led by Ms. Karin Enstrom, MP and Chair of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag, accompanied by two Parliamentary officials and two diplomats from the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi. The delegation met the Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sunil Arora and the Election Commissioners, Shri Ashok Lavasa and Shri Sushil Chandra.
Chief Election Commissioner of India, Shri Sunil Arora, welcomed the Swedish delegation. In his address, he stated that the Commission is committed to hold free, fair, transparent, peaceful, inclusive, accessible, ethical and participative elections. He gave an overview of the last national elections held in India. He added that using modern tools of Information and Communication Technology, several innovative measures were taken up during the last Lok Sabha elections and recently held state elections to make electoral process hassle free and voter friendly. He said that special attention was paid to make elections accessible for Persons with disabilities and senior citizens. Shri Arora also briefed the visiting parliamentarians and officials about the international cooperation programme of the ECI, including setting up of India A-WEB  Centre in New Delhi for documentation, research and training with the objective of sharing the best practices and capacity building of the 115-member Association. He mentioned that ECI is looking forward to working with Swedish Election Authority in future.
Mr. Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner mentioned that ECI has taken several steps to spread the progress of democracy. He said that the gender gap in the voting population, which was 16% in the past, had almost been eliminated in the General Election 2019.
Shri Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioner briefed the delegates about the steps taken by ECI to curb use of money power in elections.
Ms. Karin Enstrom, MP and Chair of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag thanked the Commission for the warm welcome accorded to the Swedish delegation. She gave an overview of the Swedish electoral system wherein simultaneous elections are held for municipal, county and national elections for Riksdag. Ms. Enstrom further stated that the delegation was impressed with the magnitude of Indian elections and the way this work is done by the ECI.
Shri Umesh Sinha, Secretary General, ECI made a presentation about the structure and functioning of the ECI in managing the largest election exercise in the world. A short film on Parliamentary Election-2019 was also screened for the Swedish delegation. This was followed by a Question and Answer session wherein queries from the delegates relating to secrecy of voting, voting by overseas electors, facilities for voting by differently-abled persons, inclusive electoral participation, curbing money power etc. were answered.